Matt Swenson, the press secretary to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, is leaving the job temporarily to fill an Obama administration job in the final few months of the president's term.
Swenson said Friday he will serve as press secretary in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which is under the Executive Office of the President. Michael Froman is the current U.S. Trade Representative.
Swenson, 32, has been Dayton's press secretary for three years and has worked in his administration for a total of five-and-a-half years. The Champlin native graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College and has a master's degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota.
"The last ten years I have served at the State Capitol have offered many tremendous opportunities to improve the lives of Minnesotans," Swenson said Friday, in the kind of prepared statement that he has become an expert at crafting.
Earlier this year Swenson was a finalist for the 2016-17 White House Fellows Program. While he was not chosen, the interview process opened the door for his current opportunity.
With an earnest demeanor and a goofy sense of humor that trades heavily on his Scandinavian heritage, Swenson brought a dose of "Minnesota Nice" to his job interacting with the journalists that cover Dayton. He is taking a leave of absence from the administration and currently plans to return to his old job in February. It will be filled in the meantime by Sam Fettig, currently deputy press secretary to Dayton.
